McGurk's bar bomb report alleges 'investigative bias'

KeithAFC

Police in NI were so focused on the idea that the IRA was behind a 1971 bar bombing that it was not properly investigated, a report has said.
Fifteen people died in the McGurk's bar attack in Belfast, the worst Troubles atrocity prior to the Omagh bomb.

Thoughts?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12521952

Wolfe Tone

Borderline collusion imo.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Is investigative bias code for "RUC didn't give a f*ck when the victims were nationalists"?

Wolfe Tone

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Is investigative bias code for "RUC didn't give a f*ck when the victims were nationalists"?

Pretty much.

Jaap

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

Is investigative bias code for "RUC didn't give a f*ck when the victims were nationalists"?

At least someone got charged for their part in the McGurk Massacre...the getaway driver!!! For many killings by both republican and loyalist terrorists no one was ever charged!!! An example is the Kingsmill Massacre where 10 innocent protestants died...their killers have never spent a single day behind jail!
Loads of scumbags got away scot free from horrendous acts...and even those who got caught...some of them got released early! What numpties we have in government!!

A Dub in Glasgo

Jaap wrote: »

Loads of scumbags got away scot free from horrendous acts...

Yep, you are right I can name a couple more massacres where nothing was done to seek justice

Ballymurphy
Bloody Sunday

Liam Byrne

Three things:

1) The above is disgraceful, because all murders should be investigated properly and the perpetrators brought to justice....it's understandable that the first thought would be the obvious suspects, but proper investigations should weed out assumptions

2) Anyone who excuses other murders and highlights this is a hypocrite

3) The above doesn't indicate whether the IRA were or weren't involved; it's as if it weren't investigated at all

Wolfe Tone

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Three things:

1) The above is disgraceful, because all murders should be investigated properly and the perpetrators brought to justice....it's understandable that the first thought would be the obvious suspects, but proper investigations should weed out assumptions

2) Anyone who excuses other murders and highlights this is a hypocrite

3) The above doesn't indicate whether the IRA were or weren't involved; it's as if it weren't investigated at all

In 1978, UVF member Robert Campbell was convicted of his part in the attack.

Loyalist attack on a nationalist pub. Not IRA. RUC didnt investigate cause it was loyalists, tried to blame the IRA.

Jaap

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Loyalist attack on a nationalist pub. Not IRA. RUC didnt investigate cause it was loyalists, tried to blame the IRA.

The RUC did investigate the McGurk Massacre...that is what this report says! They wrongly assumed it was the work of the IRA though at the start! Eventually they got the getaway driver 7 years later...which was a better result justice wise than many other atrocities in Northern Ireland!
What we also must remember is this massacre was 40 years ago when there were killings left right and centre in Northern Ireland...resources were stretched...and there was no such things as DNA, high end forensics, CCTV cameras or mobile phones to report incidents.
I'm not excusing the RUC...but a modern day investigation in to what happened 40 years ago...it would've been tough to get 100% accurate evidence....I'm sure many survivors or police officers from the time have passed away.
Northern Ireland has to move on...all sides!
It is fitting that this thread has been moved to the History and Heritage forum!

PatsytheNazi

Jaap wrote: »

At least someone got charged for their part in the McGurk Massacre...the getaway driver!!! For many killings by both republican and loyalist terrorists no one was ever charged!!! An example is the Kingsmill Massacre where 10 innocent protestants died...their killers have never spent a single day behind jail!
Loads of scumbags got away scot free from horrendous acts...and even those who got caught...some of them got released early! What numpties we have in government!!

Not only loads of scumbags got away scot free but some of them are lauded as 'heros' such as Derek Wilford the CO on Bloody Sunday, loyalist crony Robert Nairac etc who received military honors and OBE's from the head of state of Britain.

Wolfe Tone

wtf is this doing in the history and heritage forum? Surely its political with the new pressure for an apology?

PatsytheNazi

Liam Byrne wrote: »

Three things:

1) The above is disgraceful, because all murders should be investigated properly and the perpetrators brought to justice....it's understandable that the first thought would be the obvious suspects, but proper investigations should weed out assumptions

2) Anyone who excuses other murders and highlights this is a hypocrite

3) The above doesn't indicate whether the IRA were or weren't involved; it's as if it weren't investigated at all

It wasn't " investigated properly and the perpetrators brought to justice " because the state and those supposed to investigate the murders were often the ones behind it. Who do you think armed, organized and directed the loyalists for 25 years ?